So confess all, Christmas cooks - what works, what doesn't

Using new so-called "convection/grill/microwave" to roast vegetables. Useless waste of £200.

I was going to try the fast cook turkey, but was wary. Was it lovely?

Not a Nigella recipe but my foolproof turkey recipe from Waitrose worked a treat again.

basically stuffing turkey with a quartered onion and lemon and a few bay leaves and rubbing with butter.

You get the most beautifully moist turkey.

and of course, having a proper fan oven for the first time meant the turkey was ready when it was supposed to be ready, unlike the old oven when it really was anyone's guess as to when it would be done!

This Christmas what worked for us was the M&S package. Salmon Terrine, Turkey with all the trimmings and other bits and pieces.

Totally took the preparation worry and work out of it for us all - and considering what I was doing on Christmas Eve, it was a good job we didn't have a dinner to prepare for as there wouldn't have been a dinner at all!

Previous years I've cooked Jamie's Christmas Dinner and out of the 5 or so that I cooked, each one was a success. Especially the stuffing. Absolutely gorgeous, and never, ever going back to packet stuffing again!

Was all good chez Puss, so that was:

N's Briney Turkey, Gravy, Breadsauce, spuds, parsnips (but it is how I usually cook them anyway), gingerbread stuffing, chestnut stuffing, sprouts, chestnut cheesecake, Delia's Christmas pudding & mincemeat.

Only grim thing was the Christmas Cake but I think that was my balls up with the tin more than anything else.

The only downside of Nige is that is seriously over caters, I could do half loads of everything and would still have had enough for another 6 people I think ?.

Good

Nigella's ham in coke - I know I am a late convert to this as everyone here has been raving on about it for aaages but I could happily eat his for every meal from now to eternity and not get fed up of it.

Pre-cooking the turkey & ham on Christmas Eve leaving the oven free for super crispy roast veggies served piping hot and on time.

Delia's lemon roulade - fantastic end to Christmas day dinner, light and citrussy and easy to make ahead.

Buying your meat from a proper butcher - I did this for the first time last year and yes, it is more expensive but boy oh boy can you taste the difference. Also, the double added bonus is since I've been a customer there for a couple of years now, the drop dead gorgeous butcher gave me a festive bottle of Godminster organic vodka 'to take the stress out of all the Christmas preperations' (I think I love that man!)

OK

Allowing your mother, who is a self professed rubbish cook, to bring some of the trimmings that she'd prepared at home. The bread sauce was really good though and not even my mother can spoil a cauliflower cheese. so it all worked out in the end.

Rubbish

The gravy I made from the turkey juices. Heaven knows why but I added too many stock cubes and it was incredibly salty. I couldn't even rescue it by boiling a raw potato in it and then adding cranberry sauce. We ended up with *gasp* Bisto granuals which almost killed me but everyone else seemed to like ?

I didn't cook Christmas dinner so don't have much to contribute but I did do Nigellas ham in coke for the first time and its yummy. As was Jamies turkey and sweet leek pie.

The iced spunk berries aka iced scandinavain berries with hot white choc sauce went down a treat last night - thanks hitched!

I didn't actually do most of mine but delia's roast poatoes were lovely and the Carrots au buerre on the bbc website was ace.

The only bad thing was getting cranberry sauce which nobody ate so was a waste.

Jamie Oliver's way to carve the turkey - worked really well.

Delia's roasties. Did similar with parsnips and both were fab.

M & S sausagemeat stuffing - everyone enjoyed.

Nigella's beetroot barley risotto thingy was lush.

Delia's Christmas pudding and cake came up trumps again.

Learning that if the gravey is good, a Christmas dinner can survive sitting on the table for five hours and then being microwaved!

Good:

Brining turkey

Chocolate pudding for Christmas pudding haters, though I do think it was a bit boring as someone else said

Cranberry sauce, though I found I had to add a load of sugar as I found her recipe too tart.

Bad:

Allspice gravy

Girdlebuster pie - too heavy and didn't really work

Jamie's turkey salad. Just really hated it.

Seconded re the Girdlebuster. Alright, but too many flavours fighting with the coffee ice-cream. Vanilla would've been better.

We had a nigella christmas too.

Good

The rib of beef

Port and Stilton Gravy

the potatoes

Her boozy trifle

Brussel sprouts with pancetta and chestnuts

beetroot and horseradish sauce - I doubt we'll ever have just plain horseradish again.

Would have been bad but we foresaw and changed things!

Parsnips - luckily we did with honey not maple syrup

we halved all her quantities so didn't have too much left over.

Very slightly disappointing

the ham from her new book. i preferred the older recipe of hers we used last year, actually. It was a teensy bit dry and not convinced worth all the extra effort and ingredients.

Another vote here for the Waitrose turkey-cooking instructions (from last year's Seasons booklet, I think). However, while the gravy recipe (and stock recipe) worked brilliantly last Christmas, this year it was flipping disaster - really bitter and horrible. The bread sauce recipe was brilliant though

The usually excellent chipolatas/stuffing etc we got from the local butcher - as last year - were also disappointing, even though they were meant to be exactly the same.

The gravy was so bad that already seriously considering a turkey-free Christmas in 2009.

Next time I'm buying proper gravy from Waitrose, and making Bisto in the roasting pan on the hob weeks ahead and freezing it for me, Mum and my aunt.

Oh and the mincemeat recipe was astonishing. I've never eaten so many mince pies. Gorge(eous).

Sounds like a top plan -

I'm just pleased that this Christmas was the right one for me to mess it up as there was just immediate family for lunch, so only OH and children got to taste the abomination that was the turkey gravy!

This year's winner for me was Jamie's goose rubbed in 5 spice- way nicer than the Nigella one we did last year stuffed with sauerkraut. Nigella's light goose gravy from the Nigella Christmas book was fab though and even better for the fact it can be made in advance and doesn't require juices from the roasting tin.

We've had goose twice now on Christmas Day and I can't see us going back to turkey unless we're cooking for hordes. Really tasty and the leftovers were great in a cassoulet. I do miss turkey sandwiches though.

Best:

Delia's Christmas Pudding which I made about 3 weeks beforehand, and stuck extra rum in by mistake as I didn't read the recipe properly, so thought sod it and added even more in ? Then a liberal dousing of brandy over the top which it soaked in. Was very tasty and light, would have had more but I was ill!

Not quite so good:

Delia's cook in the oven mincemeat. Now I might have done something wrong but after making my mince pies, having them cold was awful. Heating them made them taste lovely but cold was just blah. Will try again next year though!

Hmm, was just about to post saying we didn't rate this one at all! So thin and watery.

Can someone make me understand this brining thing? Apart from watching Nigella make everything on her Christmas table taste like mulled wine, I don't get it. I can't say I've ever been disappointed by a turkey so much that I'd have to fart around with the flavour of an excellent quality meat.

I remain sceptical about many of her Christmas ideas - if you can't get your roast spuds crisp without semolina flour then you really are going wrong somewhere else.

And the obsession with maple syrup on everything! I love maple syrup but honestly...is Christmas dinner once a year so utterly appalling that you must do everything to cover up the taste of a brilliant meal? (I say this as a pretty adventurous cook who'll try most things)

I agree with you Baron, I think there's too much faffing, especially when it's hard to improve on a lovely roast dinner when it's been well prepared and cooked. Improving the flavour and texture of turkey by placing an onion or two up it's arse and butter under the skin is fine, and the secret to good roast potatoes is very very hot fat. There's no need for semolina or a.n.other odd ingredient to make them crispy.

<still has hangover hat on>

Yup - my turkey has butter under the skin, and an apple and onion up its arse. Job done and works every time. Likewise with hot fat and potatoes.

Mrs Jess - I know what you mean about obsessions with ingredients. I think the problem with Nigella's Christmas was that she seemed to think that everything must taste 'Christmassy'. If I need my house constantly filled with those aromas for the whole of the day I'll buy a Yankee candle ?

Good - Jamie's Turkey and Leek Pie. Jamie's roast beef in good food magazine esp his gravy, it was a winner.

Jamie's Fish Pie from Ministry of food.

Bad - Nigella's (Nigella Express) - Smoked Trout Pate - too rich/spicy really.

Hmmm, I don't "faff" too much with Christmas embellishments food wise. My turkey, I season, crush some garlic and smear butter on the breast. Roast potatoes-I don't use goose fat, but for years, I have parboiled, roughed em up in the pan and roasted in very hot oil with garlic and rosemary. This year, I used semolina, and whilst they were crunchy, it didn't really add anything.

I roast my parsnips in honey and have my brocolli and green beans steamed-nothing else added.

I made Jamie O's carrots cooked in a tin foil bag with rosemary, bacon, garlic and orange zest-lovely. Its from The Ministry of Food-which I don't especially rate, overall.

I swear by Nigella's red prawn and mango curry (from Nigella Express) I made this again on Christmas Eve-its straightforward and v tasty.

Ditto, her blackcurrent crisp.

The best tiramisu I have made is Nigella's "Tiramsu layer cake. You basically use choc loaf cakes and heaps of cream and Tia Maria. It is a faff, but well worth it-especially if you have guests. Gordons quick Tiramisu is good.

Good - Jamie's five spice goose. Had it last year, liked it even more this year. Don't think we will go back to turkey, however did have to also do a turkey crown thing for my mum who refused to even try goose (yet loved the goosey gravy and potatoes). Thanks also to jamie for teaching us (by which I mean H) how to carve.

Also good - pureeing the parsnips. H doesn't usually like them, but these were fab.

Also good - red cabbage braised in clementine juice. This makes enough for about 20 people, but does keep really well for leftovers.

Bad - horris Christmas pud with cream and Remy martin from Waitrose. I ay horrid, I still scoffed it, obviously.

Bad - sprouts. I have given up trying to jazz them up, whatever you do they are sprouty balls of badness

L
xx

Good

Gordon Ramsay's beef wellington and dauphinoise potato from Sunday Lunch although the beef was rare everyone loved it

my Nan's red cabbage with apple

Jamie Oliver's stir fried sliced brussel sprouts with lemon & breadcrumbs

Delia's christmas cake (on hitched advice I made little ones although I made on stir up Sunday which was a bit early for small ones!)

Nigella's rocky road

Bad

Good Food's mincemeat & custard tarts - couldn't taste the custard and they were soggy cold (was recommended to reheat before eating but couldn't be arsed!)

Great- Jamies goose with five spice. it was yummy and we also got 4 jars of goosefat. stuffed with clementines great too.

Jamies ham with marmalade. lovely. Jamies turkey and sweet leek pie (though i used chicken instead of turkey) was lovely.

HFW marshmallows were lovely but needed some more flavour, vanilla or something as the beetroot didn't flavour just colour.

Nigellas rocky road bars are good, but added cherries and other dried fruit so they had a tiny link to something good for you.

nothing awful but haven't cooked much due to back and being ill.

Good

Nigella's Welsh Rarebit Muffins for Christmas breakfast after walking the dog

Jamie's Goose with All Spice - cooking in the BBQ was a winner too

Sarah Raven's pecan, celery and apple stuffing. Everyone loved it

Vodka and Cranberry cheesecake instead of Christmas Pud

Not so good

The flavoured butter I made for the greens - a la Jamie again. Mum doesn't like anchovies and found it too strong, although everyone else loved it and I think she was just having a moan for the sake of it because in the run up she clearly didn't think I was capable of hosting and cooking for 6 people for three days and yet this was the only thing that she could find fault with.

We were at my Mum's for Christmas which was probably the best bit!

Great - we had a capon rather than turkey or goose

Nothing was awful though the sprouts were a smidgen over done

My Mum did the girdlebuster pie with vanilla ice cream (my H doesn't like coffee and I don't think my two kids would either) and it was lovely if a bit sweet. However her tin wasn't quite deep enough and she ended up with toffee sauce over everything in the freezer ?

Ah yes, I kind of had that happen as well. I managed to tip up my dish as I put it in the freezer and it went everywhere. Ooops

Excellent

Delia's Christmake Cake - thanks Hitchers - my first one ever!

Good

Nigella's Christmas Cookies - have been baking batches and batches of these - although I can't get to grips with the icing so we have them plain

Nigella's Cranberry Mincemeat - mincepies went down a storm - first time I've done them

OK

Nigella's Christmas Pudding Bon Bons - I found the mix to be very wet so had to add lots of icing sugar in order to get them into balls - tasted good though